Find ongoing news coverage for Encinitas, Carlsbad, San Marcos
and Solana Beach all month at northcoastcurrent.com

Events Yoga fight highlights ABCs of innovation
Current

Lima Bean Faire and
cook-off set for Sept. 28
The San Dieguito Heritage
Museum presents the fifth
annual Lima Bean Faire
and cook-off, noon to 4
p.m. Sept. 28. Beans,
including lima, were key
crops for early Encinitas
pioneers. The museum
is located at 450 Quail
Gardens Drive in Encinitas.
Free admission.
Information: 760-6329711. Online: www.
sdheritage.org.
Carlsbad Oktoberfest
returns Oct. 5
The Carlsbad Rotary
Oktoberfest returns for its
31st year on Oct. 5, noon
to 10 p.m. at Holiday Park
in Carlsbad. The free event
will feature German food,
beer, live music, yodeling
contests and a variety of
entertainment for adults
and children. More
information online: www.
rotaryoktoberfest.org.

Area school officials
weigh challenges of
building programs
By Paige Nelson

In wrapping up a lawsuit that
brought national media attention to
Encinitas in recent months, Judge
John Meyer of the San Diego Supe-

rior Court ruled yoga fit for public
schools.
Encinitas Union School District
Superintendent Timothy Baird said
it’s the first districtwide yoga program and also quite possibly the
first lawsuit of its kind.
The judge made the ruling July 1.
Stephen and Jennifer Sedlock
sued the district earlier this year,
claiming the Ashtanga yoga classes

were religious in nature and inappropriate for public schools. Attorney Dean Broyles of the National
Center for Law and Policy filed the
lawsuit on the grounds the program
violated the separation of church
and state.
In the controversy’s wake,
school leaders in the region are
assessing the challenges that come
with developing innovative pro-

grams for children.
“There’s always the possibility
when you do something different
that not everyone is going to agree
with it,” Baird said. “You can prepare all you want, but it only takes
one person to bring a lawsuit.”
Broyles didn’t respond to messages seeking comment for this
story, but told U-T San Diego he

See YOGA, page 4

TOUGH ROAD TO A

BETTER
MAIN
STREET
Merchants await finish of Solana Beach project
By Ernesto Lopez
With construction nearing completion on the Solana Beach streetscape
project along the Highway 101 corridor,
most businesses
n Downtown
are starting to see
Encinitas booster
a higher flow of
shifting focus to
customers come
Carlsbad. PAGE 3
through
their
doors compared to a few months back.
Soon after the beginning of construction, back in July 2012, shopkeepers
reported experiencing a drastic drop in
business. For many of them, the development couldn’t be done soon enough.

Artwork lines the sidewalk
in Solana Beach on Aug. 13.
North Coast Current photo

But the streets and sidewalks are
now widened; there are more parking
spaces, benches and gathering places.
Additional streetlights with decorative poles have been installed, dozens
of trees planted and more crosswalks
added, among other additions.
“It has been a lot better lately,” said
Ashley Cass, manager at Coastal Postal
& Toys. “There is more foot traffic and
our customers who avoided the area

See STREET, page 2

2

August-September 2013

CURRENT EVENTS

New farmers market
now open in San Marcos
SAN MARCOS — A new weekly
farmers market is now open weekly
at Old California Restaurant Row,
1080 W. San Marcos Blvd. in San
Marcos. The market, launched
by the county Farm Bureau, runs
Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
More information: 925-301-6081.
Online: www.facebook.com/
SanMarcosFarmersMarket.
Encinitas Oktoberfest
set for Sept. 22
ENCINITAS – The Encinitas Chamber of Commerce hosts the 18th
Annual Encinitas Oktoberfest, 10

Current

Events
a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 22 at Mountain
Vista Drive and El Camino Real.
About 200 vendors will be on
hand, along with entertainment,
and a family food and refreshment tent that will serve authentic
German food, wine and beer. The
event is free. More information:
760-753-6041. Online: www.
EncinitasOktoberfest.com.

Street

email that all work should
be completed by early September, which is about two
Continued from Page 1
months ahead of the anticipated date. He said it’s also
during construction are important to note that all
construction work that
starting to come back.”
Dan King, from the city affected businesses and trafmanager’s office, said via fic flow was completed by

Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon returns
to benefit animal center
DEL MAR – The Helen Woodward
Animal Center hosts the eighth
annual Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon on
Sept. 8 at Dog Beach in Del Mar.
The event features more than 80
dogs surfing in four weight classes
Proceeds go to the pets and programs of the center. More infor-

the end of May.
“The remaining of the
work still to be completed
is primarily aesthetic in
nature such as landscaping,
sandblasting words at some
of the gathering places and
completion of the fountain,”
King wrote.
Additionally, King said,
the contractor will be
installing bike racks and
bus shelters once they are
delivered.
Rough time
for merchants
What helped Cass survive
the 50 percent drop in business due to construction was
the store’s online shopping
option.
And while reminiscing
on the past few months, she
said, “It was terrible. We
would sometimes go days
without sales and would
have a hard time paying our
bills.”
Bob Castro of Bob’s
Barber Shop also said
he has seen an increase
in foot traffic in recent
weeks. By the same token,
Danielle Nourani, an assistant manager at Java Depot,
said business for them has
picked up substantially to
where they are hiring help.
“We did have a lot of dead
days during heavy construc-

mation: or call 858-756-4117.
Online: www.animalcenter.org.
35th annual Greek Festival
set for Sept. 7 in Cardiff
CARDIFF – The Cardiff Greek Festival returns for its 35th year Sept. 7
from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sept.
8 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Saints
Constantine and Helen Greek
Orthodox Church, 3459 Manchester Ave. in Cardiff. Enjoy traditional
Greek food and dance, along
with vendors and games. Park at
MiraCosta College. Admission is
$3; children under 12 are free.
More information: 760-942-0920.
Online: www.cardiffgreekfest.com.

Photos
online

nccurrent.com/?p=3164
tion periods but we are now
doing pretty well,” Nourani
said.
However, for some business owners, the recent
boost is not enough.
Charles
Pinaby
of
Yummy Yogurt shop said
the small increase in revenue cannot nearly erase the
economic damage done by
the construction in the past
13 months.
Pinaby said he had to let
go of his two employees and
took out loans to stay afloat.
He is basically a one-man
show.
“I cannot begin to
describe how rough it has
been. Imagine having to
work seven days a week,
nonstop,” Pinaby said.
“This project was bad
for business; it was basically a rejuvenation of the
sidewalks and nobody is
going to just come here for
the sidewalk. I am sure the
residents love it but I won’t
appreciate it until business
goes back to normal,” he
added.
If business does not
return to pre-construction
levels, Pinaby said he may

have to close his doors.
“Before we were buzzing,
now I don’t have high hopes.
If things don’t get back to
the way they were, maybe I
will have a change of heart; I
don’t know If I will continue
to be here,” he said.
King said it is unfortunate that some of the
businesses reported experiencing a decrease in clientele, and added that the city
plans to continue to work
with retailers individually
as well as collectively with
the local Chamber of Commerce and the Highway 101
Association to promote the
revitalized corridor.
“We will definitely keep
our eyes on the area and
work with the businesses
to expand and grow as it
becomes a real destination
spot for residents and visitors alike,” he said.
Positive reactions
so far
Residents and visitors
from neighboring cities do
seem to enjoy the project’s
outcome. On Aug. 10 during
peak hours, what seemed
like a few hundred people
were out walking their dogs,
shopping or enjoying a meal
at the many restaurant
options.
Rose Hanley, a Solana

Chime in at the San Dieguito
Heritage Museum
ENCINITAS – The San Dieguito
Heritage Museum invites the community to build wind chimes as
part of its Families Make History
project for August. The project
offers families the opportunity
to celebrate the history of local
beaches and surf culture in the
area. When: Every Saturday and
Sunday, noon to 4 p.m., throughout August. San Dieguito Heritage
Museum, 450 Quail Gardens Drive
in Encinitas. Free admission. The
museum also offers other ongoing
events. Information: 760-6329711. Online: www.sdheritage.org.
Beach resident having lunch
at Pizza Port, said she is
happy that construction
is nearly done because it’s
easier to get to the strip.
“It’s really pretty and
much safer for people walking and biking; more dogfriendly too,” she said.
Carlsbad resident Rose
Marie Bennett, who had
just done some shopping,
also said the nearly finished
product looks “really nice”
and it feels more pedestrianfriendly.
“During
construction,
my experience here was
not so good, like everyone
else’s,” Bennett said. “I tried
to come Christmas shopping and it was just tricky
to get in and out. You had
to be very persistent to shop
in the area, I would drive
through quite often but I did
avoid stopping by.”
In collaboration with the
Chamber of Commerce and
the Highway 101 Association, King announced that
the city is planning a Grand
Re-Opening
Celebration
on Sept. 22 from 11:15 a.m.
to 4 p.m. There will be live
music, chalk artists, performances, fence art and
a Taste of Solana Beach
event involving many of
the restaurants along the
corridor.

COASTLINE

August-September 2013
www.northcoastcurrent.com

Time to
cross the
water-wise
bridge
Face it.
San Diego is a semiarid desert; it’s really
North Africa on a different planet.
But we don’t live like it.
We tend to enjoy
plush, landscaped yards
(me, too; I’m guilty, as
well) and
think about
water
mostly
when the
rates go up.
If we
had to rely
solely on
fresh water
from the ground and our
natural lakes and streams,
only a fraction of us could
live here.
So, it was with some
interest to listen to
Maureen Stapleton, chief
of the San Diego County
Water Authority, appear
before the San Dieguito
Water District (the
Encinitas City Council
members with different
hats on) to explain some
things about the Delta
water conundrum and the
latest proposed solution.
The problem, as most
people know, is that
about 20 percent of the
water we use comes, at
least indirectly, from the
Sacramento-San Joaquin
River Delta.
That watershed covers
1,100 square miles and
carries water from Northern California ultimately
into San Francisco Bay
– except, enough water
to supply 25 million
residents and 3 million
acres of farmland to the
south is first diverted
to head south into the
San Joaquin Valley and,
finally, at the end of the
“pipe” to us.
The struggle over
how to share the finite

KENT
DAVY

See DAVY, page 11

Find editor Roman S.
Koenig’s column online at
northcoastcurrent.com.

News from Encinitas, Carlsbad and Solana Beach

3

Norby shifts efforts from main street to village
Longtime leader of
Encinitas group joins
city of Carlsbad
By Heather Rushall
Longtime downtown Encinitas
advocate and Highway 101 Coordinator Peder Norby announced his
decision to move his passion for
economic redevelopment to Carlsbad after 16 years with the city.
The city of Encinitas agreed to

an early contract termination effective Aug. 15, the same day Norby’s
one-year consulting contract with
Carlsbad begins. The Carlsbad City
Council approved the $125,000
contract in June and will vote annually whether to extend the agreement, according to news reports.
The Encinitas community has
undergone major changes in the
past decade, including the downtown Streetscape project in 2000,
which Norby defined as the “skeleton underneath all the pretty stuff.”

Although he facilitated much
of the renovations in downtown
Encinitas, Norby said thanks are
owed to the merchants, property
owners and the city.
“I believe people give me way too
much credit for that,” he said while
sitting in the very lumberyard near
where some of the project construction had taken place after having
gone virtually unused for more than
10 years.
“There was no grocery store, no
hardware store. City Hall was in a

different location and there was no
Coaster,” he said.
The project set the stage for
downtown growth, along with
updated sewer lines and retrofitted
roads. Norby said the renovations
were meant allow downtown to sustain another 100 years.
What’s in store for Carlsbad
Norby said he has a vision
for Carlsbad similar to what
was achieved in Encinitas, while

See NORBY, page 10

Artist seeks
help to spread
‘Madonna’
message
Project aims to have
versions of the work
in several cities
By Ernesto Lopez
The environmental message
of the Surfing Madonna mosaic –
“Save the Ocean” – is set to reach
far more people up and down the
coast of California.
Within the next few months,
a handful of artists from different cities and a variety of genres
will receive an invitation by Mark
Patterson, the creator of the original artwork, to produce their own
versions of the Madonna to be
placed in privately owned spaces.
“I think it’s just awesome for
others to have their own interpretation; we will see renditions that
will shock, amaze and inspire,” he
told the North Coast Current.
So far, a bronze sculptor from
Northern California, Susan Holt, is
on board, and her final project will
most likely be placed in or around
Pebble Beach, a popular surfing
spot.
Patterson said he is delighted to
have started the project because,

See MESSAGE, page 11

The Surfing Madonna mosaic is
on display at Cafe Ipe in Leucadia,
pictured Aug. 13.
North Coast Current photo

4

August-September 2013

FRONT PAGE

Current wins 12 awards Yoga
North Coast Current
The North Coast Current
won 12 awards July 12 at the
annual banquet for the Society of Professional Journalists San Diego Chapter.
The Current won awards
for its online content and
design: First Place for Online
Design (awarded to Editorial
Director Roman S. Koenig)
and Honorable Mention for
Online News Site.
Contributing writers and
photographers were also
recognized by SPJ for their
work with the Current.
n Manny Lopez: First
Place Non-Daily Business
Story for “Transfer of flower
power,” about the changing
ownership of Ecke Ranch.
n Scott Allison: Second
Place Online Photography
for “Homecoming,” about
the return of Marines at
Camp Pendleton; and Honorable Mention Online Photography for “Mary Fleener
lives art on the edge.”
n Christopher Earley:
Second Place Non-Daily
Environmental Story for
“Seeds of destruction,”
about a program to remove
invasive trees and plants

from local lagoons; and
Second Place Non-Daily
Feature Story for “Pharmacy
wrapping up after 38 years,”
about the closure of Rancho
Park Pharmacy.
n Helen Hawes: Second
Place Non-Daily Food Story
for “Carlsbad coffee roaster
focuses on the art of coffee,”
a profile about La Costa
Coffee Roasting.
n Ernesto Lopez: Honorable Mention Non-Daily
Political Government Story
for “Newspaper publisher
quietly steps into the political fray,” about the contentious Encinitas City Council
campaign of 2012.
n Lauren Ciallella: Honorable Mention Non-Daily
Food Story for “2Good2B at
forefront of ‘free’ foods revolution.”
n Koenig also won individual awards: First Place
Non-Daily
Opinion/Editorial for “Who watches
the watchdog?” about the
state of local journalism;
and Second Place NonDaily Opinion/Editorial for
“Strike a pose for hypocrisy”
about the controversy over
yoga in Encinitas schools.

Continued from Page 1
plans to appeal the decision.

Yoga program moves forward
Baird said regardless of whether the
parents decide to appeal the decision,
the district plans to move forward with
the program — and it’s doing just that.
At a school board meeting July 31,
the district Board of Trustees accepted
an additional $1.4 million grant from
the Sonima Foundation to further
expand the program. The organization
initially gave more than $500,000 to
start it.
The new funds will allow the district to hire two yoga instructors for
each school, increasing the number of
teachers from 10 to 18.
“I think we’ve tried very hard to
make it clear the district was in charge
of the entire yoga program,” Baird
said. “The program was designed to
meet the needs of the district, not to
carry out some mission.”
The school district initially received
a $533,000 grant from the Sonima
Foundation, formerly known as the
Jois Foundation, to fund the program.
The grant covered the cost of the
program’s setup, as well as a threeyear study about the benefits of yoga
in schools. To help pay for more teachers and unprecedented expenses, the
foundation increased its support to
$700,000.

E
V
A
S
%
*

20

SEND
BOUQUETS
FOR ANY
OCCASION
anniversary | birthday | just because

Hurry! Order now for unbelievable low prices, with flowers from $19.99 +s/h
Visit

www.ProFlowers.com/Buy or call 888.929.9026

Join Over 12 Million People Who Have Found a Better Way to Send Flowers
*20% off discount will appear upon checkout. Minimum purchase of $29.00. Does not apply to gift cards or certificates, same-day or international delivery, shipping and handling, taxes, or third-party hosted products (e.g. wine) and cannot be combined with other offers or discounts.
Discounts not valid on bulk or corporate purchases of 10 units or more. Offer expires: 11/15/13.

www.northcoastcurrent.com

“Any new program
can generate
concerns, and even
small changes
to a well-established
program can result
in a heated debate.”
Terry Decker
Solana Beach School District
assistant superintendent
“I would say most of our parents
think it’s a very good program,” Baird
said. “Many, many more than who had
concerns about it.”
Baird said the legal struggle has
been a learning opportunity for the
district about the implementation of
new programs in schools.
“We’ve had a lot of innovative programs introduced at our schools,”
Baird said, “but most of them don’t
create this kind of push-back.”
Other programs, such as the Encinitas district’s one-on-one iPad program
in elementary schools, have received
positive feedback, Baird said.
But Baird said he doesn’t think the
yoga program generated much controversy to begin with, considering
“98 percent of parents love the health
and wellness program.” He said so far
about 30 families have opted out.
Support and strategy
“Any new program can generate

concerns, and even small changes to
a well-established program can result
in a heated debate,” said Terry Decker,
assistant superintendent of the Solana
Beach School District.
Decker said part of the challenge
in implementing any new program is
building support from the beginning.
“Ongoing communication is essential to long-term support,” Decker
said. “Even if you have developed the
needed support, it can take time for
people to adjust to something new.”
Holly Palmer, executive assistant
to the superintendent of the Del Mar
Union School District, said it’s important for administrators to have a very
clear and strategic plan when implementing new programs.
Palmer said Del Mar plans to introduce a one-on-one Chromebook laptop
initiative in six of its schools in grades
four through six. She also emphasized
the importance of keeping communication lines open.
“Parent’s don’t like surprises —
we make sure we’re very clear what
purpose the program would serve,”
Palmer said.
Baird said after all the media attention the yoga lawsuit received, he
wouldn’t be surprised to see other districts moving in the same direction.
Palmer said Del Mar currently
doesn’t have plans to bring yoga into
schools, but would “never say they
wouldn’t consider it.”
Decker said Solana Beach does not
have plans to introduce yoga into the
curriculum.

NEIGHBORS

August-September 2013
www.northcoastcurrent.com

News from surrounding communities in North County

5

City grapples with drawing council districts
Project is the
result of lawsuit
over minority
representation
By Alex Groves
July 29 marked the first
day in the beginning of a districting process for the city
of Escondido as a council
of seven people was sworn
in at the Mitchell Room of
Escondido’s City Hall building to discuss demographic
analysis, meeting dates and
outreach.
Escondido made the
decision to create City Council districts in order to meet
the terms of a lawsuit settlement. The lawsuit – filed
by a group of five in 2011 –
was filed under California’s

Voting Rights Act, which
gives increased power to
minorities who believe their
votes are being diluted. This
was of particular concern
among some residents in
Escondido, where close to
half the population is Latino
but only one City Council member in the current
group of five identifies as
Latino.
Rather than fight what
could have become a costly
lawsuit, the city agreed to
create districts. There will be
four districts created by the
team of seven. Each of the
districts will select a candidate who will become one of
the City Council members.
The election for the mayoral
candidate will still be citywide.
Elections for City Council
under the new districts will

$

ESCONDIDO
n News tip or community
calendar post? Email the
North Coast Current at
news@northcoastcurrent.com

take place on Nov. 4, 2014.
The team of seven was
appointed by three retired
Superior Court judges.
Three of the seven are white,
while the other four are
Latino.
The members of the committee are:
n Dana Nuesca, the executive director of Seeds of
Hope, a San Diego County
rehabilitation center for
sexually exploited and trafficked children;
n Roberto Ramirez, president of Mountain Meadow
Mushroom Farms and a
local entrepreneur. Ramirez

200 OFF

*

holds a master’s degree from
San Diego State University;
n William Flores, a
retired San Diego County
assistant sheriff;
n Jack Anderson, a
retired Escondido deputy
city manager;
n Andy Carey, executive
director of the US-Mexico
Border Philanthropy Partnership;
n
Doris
Cruz,
an
employee of a loan service
corporation. Cruz holds a
bachelor’s degree in gender
and multicultural studies
from California State University, Chico;
n John Valdez, a Chicano
Studies professor at Palomar College.
The composition of the
Independent
Districting
Commission has sparked
both the ire and support of

Escondido residents and
political activists, with some
backing the decision and
others puzzled by it.
Community activists such
as Pat Mues of Escondido’s
Future and Escondido 2014
say the commission brings
fresh energy and a chance
to shake up politics for the
better in Escondido.
Mues has supported the
commission’s appointments,
calling comments that the
appointment process was
“ridiculous
gerrymandering,” “white flight” and
“inexorable
reconquista”
either biased or ignorant.
She said the City Council’s limited ability to affect
decisions made by the commission will allow the group
to do the job it needs to do.
And if the districting process changes the composi-

tion of the City Council after
2014, that’s something Mues
said she’ll be in favor of.
“I think the only thing
that is going to change those
activities that those of us feel
are not in the best interest of
the community in general
and in the Latino (community) in particular is if there
is a totally different council
majority,” Mues said.
City Council members
did not respond to requests
for comment for this story
about their role in the districting process.
The commission was
sworn in at about 4:30 p.m.
July 29, and within a few
minutes elected Nuesca as
chair and Valdez as vice
chair.
Following the appointments of chair and vice chair,

See DISTRICTS, page 10

• Carpet • Hardwood • Laminate • Ceramic
• Vinyl • Window Treatments

THE SAME QUALITY, NAME-BRAND PRODUCTS YOU FIND IN STORES…

Brought Right to Your Home

Professional Installation-

CHOOSE
FROM
HUNDREDS
OF
SAMPLES

AS SOON AS NEXT DAY!
Same Day Appointments Available
Budget-Smart Financing Options

For over 50 years, Empire Today® has been making it easy for homeowners to shop
for quality Carpet, Flooring and Window Treatments from the comfort of their homes.

More than one million satisfied customers have seen Empire’s benefits!

Call Now to Schedule a
FREE In-Home Estimate Today!

800-908-6854

Sales and installation of products are provided by qualified and experienced independent contractors.
Terms & Conditions
*Discount is applied to the regular price and cannot be applied toward order deposit. Minimum product total of $2,000 before applicable taxes. Appointment must be scheduled by calling 800-908-6854 in order
to be valid. May not be combined with other offers. Not valid on prior purchases. Void where prohibited. Standard residential installations only. Limit one offer per person, purchase or product. Improper use or
redemption constitutes fraud. May not be sold, transferred, reproduced, purchased, traded or altered in any way. Offer good only for product indicated. Products and styles may vary by Empire service area.
Window Treatments not available in all Empire service areas. Valid through 12/31/2013 in Empire services areas. Offer subject to change.

6

North
Coast

BEAT

August-September 2013
www.northcoastcurrent.com

Local spotlight on arts and entertainment

Current Searsucker designed to suit North County

Events

Lacemakers to perform
at Old California Coffee
The Lacemakers – a folk
music group made up
of Heloise Love (guitar,
whistle,drum,vocals), Miss
Darla (guitar, mountain
dulcimer, mandolin and
vocals) and Kim Donaldson (vocals, fiddle and
banjo) – are set to perform
Sept. 20 at Old California
Coffeehouse, 1080 San
Marcos Blvd., No. 176.
Coffeehouse music schedule: www.oldcalcoffee.com.
E Street Cafe hosts
Open Mic Nights
E Street Cafe, 128 W. E St.
in Encinitas, hosts Open
Mic Nights on Tuesdays
from 6 to 9 p.m. Sign-ups
are 5:30 to 6 p.m. Online:
www.estreetcafe.com.
‘Wait Until Dark’
on stage in October
“Wait Until Dark,” a
thriller set in the 1960s,
is scheduled to run Oct.
5-27 at New Village Arts
Theatre, 2787 State St. in
Carlsbad. Box office: 760433-3245. Online: www.
newvillagearts.org.
‘Fools’ by Neil Simon
on stage in September
The Star Theatre Company of Oceanside stages
the Neil Simon comedy
“Fools” Sept. 27-Oct. 6.
The theater is located at
402 N. Coast Highway in
Oceanside. Information:
760-721-9983. Online:
www.startheatre.biz.
Experience Lux Art
Institute after dark
Lux After Dark, a fundraising gala to support Lux
Art Institute educational
programs, is scheduled for
Oct. 5 from 6 to 11 p.m.
The institute is located at
1550 S. El Camino Real
in Encinitas. Information:
760-436-6611. Online:
www.luxartinstitute.org.
Find more arts and
entertainment listings
all month at
northcoastcurrent.com.

By Manny Lopez
A restaurant metamorphosis took place July 17 with
the emergence of Searsucker
Del Mar from the chrysalis
of Burlap located in Carmel
Valley’s Del Mar Highlands
Town Center mall.
Intended to coincide with
opening day at the Del Mar
Racetrack, celebrity chef
Brian Malarkey and hospitality entrepreneur James
Brennan look to transport

some of the edginess and
“new American cuisine” to
North County that has made
Searsucker one of San Diegobased Enlightened Hospitality Groups’ most successful
brands.
“Many of our Searsucker
clientele are North County
residents who drive to the
Gaslamp Quarter on the
weekend to enjoy the food,
design and ambiance that
makes Searsucker such a

unique destination,” Malarkey said. “To be able to now
put a Searsucker in their very
own neighborhood is a win
for everyone.”
Gone are the bright colors,
eclectic furnishings and
“Asian cowboy cuisine” that
gave Burlap a club-like atmosphere. In their stead now
sits a warmer, more familyoriented Thomas Schoos
designed environment, which

Celebrity chef
Brian Malarkey.
Courtesy photo by
Chantelle Marie

See SEARSUCKER, page 8

SCREEN
SCENE

Oceanside film fest
brings international,
local talent together
By Paige Nelson
The Oceanside Cultural Arts Foundation is getting ready to roll out the
red carpet for its third annual Oceanside International Film Festival in late
August.
n Find follow-up
The four-day
coverage
of the
event
officially
Oceanside
film
kicks off the film
festival
online.
festival season in
San Diego, starting Aug. 22.
The festival showcases a juried
selection of 50 films from nearly every
genre, including narrative features,
documentaries, shorts, animation
and student works.
All of the films come from unsigned
filmmakers across the globe who are
looking to gain recognition among a
wider audience.
Film festival Chairman Dmitriy
Demidov said there’s been a lot of
participation from the local community this year, with film submissions
from Encinitas, Chula Vista, San
Diego and Carlsbad.

U-T building
sale to school
still in limbo
By Alex Groves
The acquisition of the
old North County Times
building by a North County
charter high school is still
ongoing, and both seller
and potential buyer appear
to be keeping mum regarding some details of the sale’s
status.
The Classical Academy
of Escondido entered into
an escrow agreement with
U-T San Diego to purchase
the 4-acre property in October 2012, according to a U-T
report. The charter school
campus was set to open in
early 2014, the report stated.
But the two entities have
had difficulty facilitating
a final sale due to various
hurdles.

See BUILDING, page 9

ENTERPRISE
News, profiles and trends in local business

Brookside back
from the wayside
Local vintner reviving vintage family label
By Manny Lopez
When your pedigree boasts a history as one of the
oldest winemaking families in California, the decision
to become a vintner isn’t always as easy as it may seem.
For native San Diegan Tim Bacino, owner of Rancho
Santa Fe-based Brookside Winery, the endeavor has
meant working tirelessly to fill a huge pair of shoes
whose corporate roots date back to 1832.
Bacino, a self-described serial entrepreneur and the
sixth generation of the Vaché family, known as pioneers
in the California wine industry,
has plunged into the
See BROOKSIDE, page 9

Tim Bacino of
Brookside Winery.
Courtesy photo

7

8

August-September 2013

CAMPUS

BEAT

www.northcoastcurrent.com

High school’s
journalism class
to return this fall
By Jessica LaFontaine
La Costa Canyon High School will no longer be
removing the journalism class that produces the
school newspaper, MavLife, from the class schedule. Instead, the class will be combined with the
broadcasting journalism class, which produces the
school television newscast.
Classes resume for fall on Aug. 27.
Anthony Fregoso, MavLife student sports editor,
wrote an editorial that sparked debate last spring.
The article was critical of Principal Kyle Ruggles and
other administrators over the decision to cut Athletic Director Kari DiGiulio, along with the position
entirely.
Shortly after the publication of the article in
March, school administration announced the journalism class would be cut from the curriculum due
to low enrollment numbers.
Students from the journalism class appealed the
decision to the San Dieguito Union High School District Board of Trustees at the superintendent level,
spoke to local news outlets and met with school
administrators several times about the issue.
Despite their efforts to keep the class, the administration told students the newspaper would have
to continue as an extracurricular activity, not as a
class.
At the close of the school year in June, students
learned from their adviser that the class would survive another year, but with a twist – it would be
combined with the broadcast journalism class.
“I’m really pleased that we are able to offer this
opportunity to the students, and I believe its aligned
with the way journalism and communication is happening in our county in this time,” Ruggles said.

Photo by Manny Lopez
Patrons sit at the bar of Searsucker restaurant’s new location in Carmel Valley on July 17.

Searsucker
Continued from Page 6

Malarkey described as “urban cowboy
meets California chic,” with a new
menu designed by Chef de Cuisine
Andrew “Dizzle” Phillips.
“Burlap was a concept. It was a
trial run. When we first started our
company we had a couple of different
brands and styles that we were trying
out,” Phillips said. “Searsucker is the
one. I believe that’s what Del Mar has
really always wanted from us and we’re
going to give it to them.”
Phillips, who has been with Enlightened Hospitality Groups since 2010,
helped open the flagship Searsucker
San Diego and has worked his way
through the ranks to his new position
at the North County location. He said
that his charge is to return the focus
back to the food.
The grand opening special consisted

See CLASS, page 11

Screen

Continued from Page 6
Demidov said international participation is also
growing. This year’s festival will feature films from
Portugal, Belgium, Spain,

Russia, Japan and more.
“It is a big deal for a filmmaker to be selected and
screened,” Demidov said.
“It elevates their chances
of landing a serious professional deal in the industry.”
The festival organizational committee consists
of nine film-savvy individu-

als, including Demidov, who
have been meeting every
two weeks to judge incoming submissions since January of last year.
“I don’t want to spoil the
magic, but judging is done
in the most democratic
way and the opinion is very
objective,” Demidov said.

of seared pork belly and scallops, prepared Del Mar style, with pork belly
caramel sauce, micro-cilantro and
breakfast radish. A three-course prix
fixe menu crafted for the event, which
included a number of Searsucker’s most
popular dishes, was offered for $65.
“On opening day, my impression
is that this is a winning bet,” said
Kristine Grant of Del Mar, who was
among the first customers through
the door. “I love the feel of this place.
There’s a good vibe, it’s very clean and
it’s within walking distance from my
house in heels.”
The
six-week
transformation,
which Malarkey said cost more than
$1 million, gives Enlightened Hospitality Groups a portfolio that includes
Searsucker restaurants in the Gaslamp
Quarter, Scottsdale, Ariz., and Austin,
Texas. The group also owns and manages Herringbone, Gabardine, Stingaree and Campine, a catering and event
production company.
Malarkey said that after experi-

Incoming
films
are
graded by the judges based
on specific criteria, and the
highest-scoring films are
chosen to be best picture,
Demidov said.
“When we have so many
submissions, everyone is
subject to viewing,” Demidov said. “There were many
good ones and also many
bad ones. We ended up with
many good films and even
then had to cut it down.”
Among the films to be
screened include “Patrol
Base Jaker,” a featurelength documentary film
about U.S. Marines and the
practice of counterinsurgency in Helmand province,
Afghanistan.
The film first made its
debut in summer 2010 and
went on to win best documentary at the GI Film Festival in Washington D.C. in
2011.
“It’s a must-see for everyone and a very inspirational
movie for our troops,”

menting with different concepts,
Enlightened Hospitality Groups has
plans for a national expansion of its
Searsucker and Herringbone brands.
The company expects to open 15 new
restaurants across the country within
the next five years.
“We’re having a lot of fun and we
don’t take things too seriously,” Malarkey said. “We’re entertaining with
amazing food highlighted by great
service in a party atmosphere and the
glasses are always clinking. So put on
your seersucker suit and head on over
to Searsucker.”
Searsucker Del Mar is located at
12995 El Camino Real. Lunch will
be served Monday through Friday
from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and dinner
Sunday through Thursday from 5 to
10 p.m. and to 11 p.m. on Fridays and
Saturdays. A Sunday brunch will be
offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
More information about Searsucker
can be found at www.searsucker.com
or by calling 858-369-5700.

Demidov said.
In the movie, Producer
David Scantling takes viewers to the front lines with
Camp Pendleton Marines for
a glimpse of daily operations
and rare, close-up footage of
on-the-ground combat.
“There are some military
films that discourage war, but
this showcases the positive
outcome of our troops being
abroad,” Demidov said.
The documentary will be
featured on Aug. 24 along
with three other military
films: “Finnigan’s War,”
“Towing” and “Bring Me
Home.”
Demidov said he hopes
the military screening block
will generate more interest
among active-duty military
and veterans.
The film festival closes
Aug. 25 with an awards
gala at the Star Theatre,
402 North Coast Highway,
where actress Sally Kirkland
and voiceover artist Jon St.
John will receive lifetime

achievement awards.
The festival also features several workshops for
aspiring filmmakers about
screenplays,
filmmaking
and copyright, hosted at
the Oceanside Library, 330
North Coast Highway.
General admission festival passes are available for
$50, and $35 for seniors,
military and students. Oneday admissions are $15, or
$10 for seniors, military and
students. Workshops are
$10 each, or free with a festival pass.
Demidov said he hopes
the festival will eventually “land Oceanside on the
map.”
“We want to establish ourselves as a well-recognized
festival, not just in North
County but in Southern California,” Demidov said. “I
think we’re almost there.”
For more information
about workshop schedules
and screening times, visit
www.ocaf.info.

www.northcoastcurrent.com

ENTERPRISE

Building
Continued from Page 7

According to San Diego County
property records, the building at
207 E. Pennsylvania Ave. is still
owned by Project Safari Real Property Holdings LLC, which is a business entity in care of Manchester
Financial Group.
Douglas Manchester is a real
estate mogul and chairman of
Manchester Financial Group.
Manchester also owns newspaper
U-T San Diego, which bought the
North County Times last year and
folded it into its publication.
U-T San Diego’s North County
staff moved to offices in Oceanside
in mid-May, leaving the Escondido building empty.
The slow pace of the transaction has left some observers in
Escondido and elsewhere in North
County wondering whether the
school will actually purchase the
building or if the escrow agreement has fallen through.
Classical Academy Communications Director Michelle Stanley
said the plan to complete a pur-

Brookside
Continued from Page 7

ultracompetitive world of
wine production and turned
his passion for the aromatic
beverage made from fermented grapes into a quest
to continue a family tradition.
“I always knew I was
going to make wine,” said
Bacino, who one morning in
2008 woke up and decided
it was time to jump into the
business. “It was like my
ancestors were calling me
and a switch was turned on.
I couldn’t help myself.”
But rather than going
the traditional route, which
involves purchasing vineyards and processing facilities as well as dealing with
the
unpredictability
of
Mother Nature, Bacino took
advantage of a new business
model in winemaking called
the “virtual winery.”
Brookside Winery’s signature label, called Gen 7,
is produced to specification
by several boutique wineries throughout California
that Bacino contracts with.
During the harvest, he purchases grapes from local
vineyards and then has them
pressed, fermented, bottled
and eventually shipped to
warehouses in Rancho Santa
Fe and Temecula, where
they age until ready to sell.
Bacino said that using
the approach gives his small

North Coast Current photo
A sign posted on the front door
of the old North County Times
building in Escondido notifies
customers of U-T San Diego’s new
Oceanside address.
chase is still very much alive and
pending the completion of a bond
sale that would give the charter
school the additional funds needed
to purchase the property.
“Escrow has not closed and
the bond-selling process is almost

wine company, which ships
about 1,200 cases per year
under different labels, the
flexibility to make the best
wine in California’s best
regions.
“They are experienced
wines made by the oldest
winemaking family in California and every bottle has
a little bit of history in it,”
Bacino said. “Lots of care
and attention is put into
bringing the best product
to market using our background and experience.”
The original Brookside
Winery was bought by food
and consumer products
conglomerate Beatrice Cos.
in 1972. The winery was
eventually sold in 1986 to
a real estate development
firm from San Francisco to
make way for expansion of
the Ontario International
Airport.
During its heyday, Brookside was the largest winery
in Southern California with
annual production of more
than 3 million gallons of
wine. The company had 150
labels, which included brandies, dessert, sparkling and
distilled wines and spirits,
along with 36 retail stores
and tasting rooms, including
Escondido and Bonita.
The new Brookside Winery’s brands can be found in
restaurants throughout San
Diego, Orange County and
the desert areas. Recently,
the company delivered its
first shipment of bottles
to the Whole Foods Market

complete within the next 30 days,”
Stanley said.
Stanley was specifically referring to a $37 million bond deal
that would allow the school to also
make various renovations and
facilitate the furnishing of necessary school materials.
The bonds – which were underwritten by RBC Capital Markets
LLC – have a BB+ rating. Bonds
with this rating are sometimes
called junk bonds, which means
they are not investment-grade
bonds. These bonds are still
secure, according to experts, but
they can be affected by adverse
business conditions and can sometimes take longer to meet timely
interest and principal payments.
The bonds are expected to
mature in 2043, according to a
state report that describes the process in detail.
While the final sale of bonds
appears to be the major hurdle in
the final sale of the North County
Times building, it’s not the only
difficulty that has kept the process
from going through.
In February, The Classical
Academy was still facing questions
from the city of Escondido’s plan-

August-September 2013
ning department before it could
receive an approved change of
land use permit.
The land use permit was
approved in March by the Planning Commission, but not without
some concern from those same
individuals regarding the ability of
businesses with alcohol licenses to
move into the same area.
Bill Martin, an Escondido city
planner, said that although putting
a school in the proposed location
would not necessarily prevent businesses with alcohol licenses from
moving in nearby, it might very
well change the expectations and
requirements placed upon those
businesses by the Department of
Alcoholic Beverage Control.
“The fact that the school was
going to be there was not going to
result in any requirement to deny
alcohol licenses by (the) ABC, but
could be used as a consideration
point to add conditions to proposed licenses,” Martin said.
More specifically, according to
a report from Escondido’s Planning Division, businesses 600 feet
away from the school would fall
under this consideration point;
while that wouldn’t in itself pre-

9

vent a business from having an
alcohol license, it could make it
easier for them to be denied one.
The 600-foot limit could have
the potential to affect a number of
businesses along Grand Avenue,
which is Escondido’s “retail core”
area. Recently, the city has been
making an attempt to increase
shopping, dining and nighttime
entertainment within the area, and
the placement of a school could
make it harder for businesses to
come in and make that goal a reality, according to the report.
The report also raised concerns
about whether the property had
adequate parking and circulation
for student pickup and drop-off.
Ultimately, the land use permit
was issued.
As the deal continues to remain
locked in place, officials at U-T
San Diego are just as tight-lipped
about the escrow process and how
it’s going.
When contacted about the
transaction for this story, U-T San
Diego CEO John Lynch declined to
comment.
“We do not comment on private
business transactions,” he said via
email.

Photos
online

nccurrent.com/?p=3118

Photo courtesy of Brookside Winery
Gen 7 is among Brookside Winery’s labels. Brookside wines are available at Whole
Foods Market in Encinitas and The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe.
in Encinitas.
“I love their story and
as a wine buyer, the juice
was good,” said Michael
Langdon, wine and spirits
buyer for Whole Foods in
Encinitas, who added that
he hopes to do some privatelabel wines using Gen 7.
“People may not recognize
the name, but I think our
customers are going to be
very surprised at the quality
of these local wines.”
Sommelier Aaron Thun
of The Inn at Rancho Santa
Fe, where Gen 7’s California sparkling wine is served
to guests as they check in,
at the spa and during special functions, described the
wine’s taste profile as having
a bright green apple aroma,
with notes of soft pear and
white peach on the palate
and nice fine bubbles for a

refreshing and crisp finish.
Gen 7’s California sparkling wine is also used in
The Inn’s signature cocktail,
called the Sparkling Santa

Fe, which includes Hangar
One vodka, mixed with
simple
lavender-infused
syrup, topped with Gen 7
sparkling wine and then gar-

nished with a lavender sprig.
“We wanted to support
the local winemakers,” Thun
said. “Gen 7 was the only
local company that really
stood out.”
Gen 7 wines can be
ordered online through the
company’s website, which
includes a wine club with
several levels of membership. The company is looking to open a wine-tasting
room somewhere in the
North County coastal area in
the very near future.
More information on the
Brookside Winery can be
found at www.gen7wines.
com or by calling Tim Bacino
at 619-540-1986.

10

August-September 2013

COLUMNISTS NEIGHBORS COASTLINE

www.northcoastcurrent.com

LIVING CREATIVELY

Getting to know ourselves also helps us to get to know others
Once, while shopping at the
supermarket, I noticed a baby
staring at another baby, who
stared back. Nothing else seemed
to matter to either of them, until
they were finally wheeled out of
each other’s sight. Later I visited
an art gallery and saw some figure
studies which consumed my attention, because I also draw people.
Although those attractions are
physical, based on sight, they also
point to a deeper type of attraction, based on the non-physical
principle “like attracts like.” I
believe this transcendent, spiritual
principle exists because there is
something in us that is attracted
to the same thing that exists in
others. We also bond with others
because we share something in
common that mirrors an aspect of
ourselves.
To me, deep mutual recognition is fueled by love, and is
an aspect of being that cannot

Districts

Continued from Page 5
City Clerk Diane Halverson
and Deputy City Attorney
Allegra Frost led a presentation on the requirements the
commission would have to
meet during the districting
process.
Most notably, the commission will have to hold a
series of six public hearings
where residents can make
comments on the drawing
of district lines. The meetings must take place within
geographically diverse areas
of the city and be concluded
by Dec. 15 or 150 days after
the commission’s appointment. The commission must
also have a budget, which
includes an expert consultant, by this time.
Once the preliminary

Norby

Continued from Page 3
acknowledging that every
community is unique. He
said he is approaching the
new project with an open
mind and listening ear.
“I think it’s important
that interpretation happens,” Norby said. “Deciding right now what should
happen is premature.
“Interpretation is getting yourself on the ground,
listening to stakeholders,
finding out what the issues

be described, but is intuitively
recognized in personal relationships and creative expression. To
experience it, we must first come
to know ourselves.
We can grow in selfknowledge through
self-acceptance,
which comes from
forgiveness, to
forgive ourselves for
our lack of fulfillment with work,
relationships, goals,
dreams. Ralph
Waldo Emerson said, “Whatever
games are played with us, we must
play no games with ourselves.”
When we look within and realize what we really think about,
and acknowledge how we truly
feel, we develop compassionate
self-awareness that leads to selfrealization. Self-realized, we can
find and bond with others through
mutual acceptance, love and

BARBARA
BASIA
KOENIG

compassion because “like attracts
like.”
It is also important to get on
our heart’s path. Joseph Campbell
said there is something within
us that knows when we’re on the
mark or off the mark. According
to Campbell, if our aim is just to
gain materially, we’re off the mark
and have potentially lost our life.
How do we know when we’re on
the mark? Carlos Castañeda’s
mentor, Don Juan, taught that a
path is only a path. What matters
is whether or not our heart is in
it. Does the path have a heart? Do
we really want to walk it? If not,
it’s not our heart’s path, and will
ultimately lead nowhere except to
feeling a lack of fulfillment.
Some say they have no choice
because of circumstances. I
believe we always have choices,
because we have a will. Choosing
is an expression of free will and to
change circumstances, we must

districting plan has been
completed, a series of three
additional public hearings
will need to take place in
geographically diverse areas
of the city.
A major source of contention during the July 29
discussions was the city
attorney’s recommendation
of National Demographics
Corporation as a districting
consultant.
Before NDC’s president
conducted a presentation,
Escondido resident Robroy
Fawcett offered to conduct
the city’s consulting for free
during a three-minute presentation. Fawcett criticized
NDC’s method of collecting
data and said the program
utilized by the company
creates a black box where
important data should be.
He also said his budget was
$0 for consulting versus
what he claimed was NDC’s

budget of $32,000.
In April, Fawcett and his
wife, Jane Fawcett, raised
objections to the lawsuit
settlement, saying it didn’t
clearly define the term
Latino.
NDC President Douglas
Johnson conducted a presentation describing the
work his company would
do and the requirements it
would meet per the consent
decree laid out by the city.
Johnson also disputed
Fawcett’s claim that NDC’s
program created a black
box where data should be,
saying transparency is one
of NDC’s objectives.
Johnson said NDC was
eager to work with the commission and provide it with
a variety of options for how
it might execute a districting
plan.
“Your consultant should
be ready to show you the

are, how things lie, and then
figuring out a path forward.”
According to Norby,
plans for Carlsbad focus
on environmental restoration, the creation of a more
community-friendly downtown and improvements to
bike and pedestrian beach
access – including a biking
corridor – but he anticipates
hearing many other project
ideas from members of the
community.
“If I could put it into a
sentence,” Norby said, “I
would say it’s 1,000 conversations with intent.”
Those conversations are

not random, he said. They
require footwork, going to
meetings, getting to know
people and their issues,
delving into the history of
the area and lots of research.
Norby is no newbie
Norby, 50, has lived in
Carlsbad for 31 years and
has spent at least half that
time being involved in the
community.
He took part in the initial discussions behind the
Legoland California theme
park, and in 1994 became
the task force chairman
during the elections and

make the choice. When the time
comes to choose a path – and you
can say to yourself, “I would love
to …” or, “I would like to …” –
then your heart is in it. When you
commit to it, magic happens.
Goethe observed: “Unless one
is committed, there is hesitancy,
the chance to draw back, always
ineffectiveness. Concerning acts
of initiative … the moment one
definitely commits oneself then
providence moves, too. All sorts
of things occur to help one that
would never otherwise have
occurred … raising in one’s favor
all manner of unforeseen incidents
and meetings and material assistance which no person could have
dreamt would come his way.”
When ready, seek others of
like heart and mind. Whether or
not we know we are doing it, we
all broadcast vibrations to others.
We get “feelings” about others
which connect us to them through

the powerful “like attracts like”
principle. However, we can talk
ourselves in or out of anything.
I have found that sometimes the
“Star Wars” character Obi Wan
Kenobi’s advice to Luke Skywalker
works: “Let go your conscious
self and act on instinct.” To me,
“instinct” is intuitive awareness.
We can find friends, our
heart’s path, and happily also our
“match” through self-knowledge
and the powerful influence “like
attracts like” has on us – for what
goes from the heart, goes to the
heart.
“In you is hidden the treasure
of treasures. Know thyself, and
thou shall know the Universe
and the Gods!” – Attributed to
Socrates, and inscribed in the
ancient Temple of Delphi.
Barbara Basia Koenig is an
Encinitas artist and personal
counselor.

options,” he said. “We won’t
make any decisions for you.
It should be very clear where
our role ends and yours
begins.”
However, some commissioners were uncomfortable that they didn’t have
a choice between NDC and
another firm.
“It’s not going to hurt
to hear from another company,” Commissioner William Flores said. “I don’t

think we’re under a time
constraint.”
Flores went on to say that
though he was impressed
with Johnson’s references
and presentation, the commission should be able to
consider other options.
He suggested interviewing
another consulting company
within the coming weeks on
either Aug. 5 or 12.
Commissioner
Jack
Anderson said he feared

tabling the decision to hire
a consultant might result in
a longer time to create districts, which might cut into
the time people would have
to run as City Council candidates.
“Where I come from is
the perspective that the
sooner we get this done, the
sooner we can give people
the opportunity to run for
office,” Anderson said.
City Attorney Jeffrey R.
Epp echoed Anderson’s sentiment, saying it might be
difficult to even get another
consulting firm to arrive on
such short notice.
“These guys are not a
dime a dozen,” Epp said.
“There are not many firms
with a municipal background that do this.”
The commission opted to
table the decision and interview another consulting
firm on Aug. 5.

planning of the attraction,
which opened its doors in
1999.
Before becoming involved in redevelopment,
he owned a Danish bakery
business. He started his first
business at the age of 19 and
went on to open six stores –
four in San Diego and two
in New Mexico. But he said
he always knew what he
wanted to do.
“My income was the
bakery business, but my
passion was economic redevelopment and community
restoration,” Norby said.
In 1997, he became exec-

utive director of the Downtown Encinitas MainStreet
Association, and after getting established in his new
career decided to sell the
bakery business.
In 2007, Norby took on
a newly created Highway
101 coordinator position,
getting a chance to work
in surrounding areas such
as Cardiff-by-the-Sea and
Leucadia. He facilitated the
General Plan restart after
community backlash sent
the proposal back to the
drawing table – which he
said was the toughest task
he’s taken on in his career

so far.
Norby said his wife, Julie,
spent two decades as an
elementary school principal
before recently exploring a
new path as the director of
instructional services for the
Solana Beach School District. The change, he said,
influenced his own decision
to make a move.
“She left a community
she had been in for 20
years,” Norby said, “and I
thought, ‘If she can do it, I
can do it.’”
The couple made major
career changes within two
months of each other.

North Coast Current photo
Escondido City Hall is pictured July 31.

www.northcoastcurrent.com

COLUMNISTS

Home

result is a rich, brown stock,
which serves as a nice base
for soups, rice and other
Continued from Page 12
dishes. Sometimes, I add
chicken base to the finished
stock to boost flavor.
jump if inconvenient, yet
Other food items often
perfectly good morsels such
fodder for the garbage are
as onion tops and carrot
broccoli and kale stems,
skins were included.
both which make fine little
Because I cook most
pickles. Instead of dumpdishes from scratch, I end
ing pickle brine out of an
up with a lot of vegetable
emptied jar, I often add kale
scraps, which are full of
and cut broccoli stems in
nutrients and flavor. When
the cucumbers’ stead, and
I peel carrots, onions and
let sit for a few days. Here
garlic, and trim celery, the
are other ideas for making
scraps go into a freezer
the most out of your food
bag. I might throw in some
supply:
tomato ends or bell pepper
pieces, but for the most part
n Save broken pieces of
I stick with the revered trin- spaghetti and use them to
ity of fine cooking – onions, make rice pilaf.
celery and carrots. Mirepoix,
n Grate broccoli stems
to be exact; or aromatics,
and use in stir-fries and
if you will. See, my kitchen
salads.
scraps have class.
n If you have a dehydraAfter I acquire enough
tor, clean out your fridge
aromatics in bags, I boil
every week and dry anything
the vegetables in water
that might go to waste.
and bones from a roasted
n For leftover hamburger
chicken, or an inexpensive
buns, or other bread that
cut like leg quarters. The
is going unused, place on

CAMPUS

cookie sheets and let sit
overnight. Grind into breadcrumbs and store for another
time. Or, chunk the bread
while still fresh and then air
dry. Store for stuffing cubes.
n If you are making
spaghetti sauce, look for
stray carrots, eggplant and
celery, or other vegetables
in danger of shriveling up.
Chop and add to the sauce.
(With carrots, you want to
shred, not chop, because
carrots take longer than
most veggies to cook.)
n The ends of bread are
a hard sell, so trick your
family by putting a filling on
the crust side of the bread,
exposing the outside of the
ends.
n Dry citrus and apple
peels and use in homemade
teas. I also put citrus peels
in vinegar as a floor mopping solution.
n After cutting corn off
the cob, freeze the cobs and
use later when making soup
or stock.
n Did someone forget to

Class

Message

Continued from Page 3
to him, it’s all about spreading the message and protecting the seas.
“We are expanding our
reach because we want
people to wake up; the ocean
is in trouble. We can’t treat
it like a giant trash can; if we
do, there will be a price to
pay,” he said.
The
surfboard-riding
Virgen de Guadalupe – a

cover the cheese, and now
it’s hard? Put the cheese in
the freezer, and grate for
melting in casseroles or
other dishes.
n Don’t throw away your
ham bone – add a pound of
beans, water and a few vegetables, serve with rice and
you can feed 10 people. You
can find the recipe for this
dish on the Preserved Home
blog under “Red Beans and
Rice.”
Issue yourself a challenge – slash your grocery
allowance in half for a week
and try using what’s already
on hand. Use the ingredient
search on www.allrecipes.
com, and put together a
meal with a little of this and
that. You never know. You
may have an unexpected
feast in your fridge and
pantry.
Laura Woolfrey-Macklem
is a former North County
resident who produces the
Preserved Home blog. Visit
www.preservedhome.com.

dents to keep the course.”
As the enrollment numbers and budget dictated the
previous decision to cut the
class, some question the longevity of the decision with
the payment of two teachers

for one class.
Editor-in-Chief Megan
Mineiro said she was elated
when she discovered the
class would remain. However, the principal never
informed the students of

the decision.
“He never came to us and
told us or anything,” Mineiro said.
Mineiro said she believes
the media attention the controversy got helped them
resolve the issue and fight to
keep the class.
“I feel completely relieved
that they decided to keep
the class,” Mineiro said. “I
think it’s a good solution by
combining the class with the
broadcasting class.”
The decision to keep
the class was achieved
by the district office and
high school administration
coming together. The question of whether it’s a temporary fix or a long-term
solution still remains.
“We’re going to have to
see how this school year
progresses,” Ruggles said.
“I hope that we’ll be able to
offer journalism on a more
consistent basis.”

10-foot-square art piece of
stained glass and stone –
first appeared in April 2011
under the railroad bridge
at Highway 101 and Vulcan
Avenue in Encinitas. It
immediately stirred controversy.
City officials labeled
the work graffiti because
its installation did not go
through the mandatory
public-review process, and
they right away began
the process of having it
removed. It was taken down
on June 22, 2011.

To avoid any legal problems this time around,
of course, Patterson said
the new artworks will be
installed with the proper
permits.
“It has to be done legally,
because I already paid that
price and we don’t want anybody going to jail,” he noted.
Patterson added that
he will soon make an
announcement about the
other artists, which will
include a local representation. He specifically wants
the San Diego version of the

Surfing Madonna placed
somewhere in the Chicano
Park area.
To help fund part of the
artists’ work, the Surfing
Madonna Oceans Project
organization, a nonprofit
started in early 2012 to
bring forth issues affecting
the world’s oceans, is hosting the first Save the Ocean
5-10K Beach Run on Nov.
16.
It will be at Moonlight Beach, in the heart
of Encinitas, and runners,
joggers and walkers are

Continued from Page 8
Ruggles referenced U-T
San Diego’s addition of
U-T TV and said he believes
that combining print and
broadcast journalism will be
beneficial to the students.
The class will be taught
by journalism teacher Suzi
Van Steenbergen and broadcast journalism instructor Scott Jordon in a large,
divided classroom. Ruggles
explained that there will
be some overlap, but the
classes will mostly be taught
separately.
The class was initially
going to be canceled due to
low enrollment, and while
Ruggles said he does not
know exactly how many students will be enrolled in the
combination class this fall,
“there will be enough stu-

COASTLINE

Photo by Jessica LaFontaine
MavLife Editor-in-Chief Megan Mineiro works on the La
Costa Canyon High School student newspaper on May 10.

August-September 2013

Davy

Continued from Page 3

resources of the Delta
– between that which
naturally flows to the sea at
the San Francisco Bay and
that which is sucked south
to the Central Valley and
Southern California – has
been joined for decades.
(The original levees in the
Delta were thrown up in the
1850s, bringing marshland
into agricultural production; the Central Valley
Project started in the 1930s
and the bond that opened
the money tap for the State
Water Project passed in
November 1960.)
In more recent years,
the State Water Project and
the Central Valley Project
have diverted as much as 40
percent of the Delta’s flow
south to farms and cities
such as ours.
In August 2007, a federal
judge famously (or infamously, depending on your
point of view) invoked the
Environmental Protection
Act to protect the endangered Delta smelt, a 2-inch
minnow, by curtailing the
amount of water taken.
Subsequent drought
triggered additional cutbacks, straining the valley
agribusiness interests and
bringing the crisis to a boil.
This spring, Gov. Jerry
Brown proposed a comprehensive solution (baydeltaconservationplan.com/
Home.aspx).
The $25 billion Bay Delta
Conservation Plan, the product of stakeholders working
with the California Natural
Resources Agency, proposes money for two giant,
38-mile-long tunnels to suck
water from the Sacramento
River upstream of the Delta
and pump it into the canals
at Tracy, where it would flow
to the south. It also intends
to restore habitat and protect threatened species.

encouraged to participate.
The 5K costs $39 and the
10K costs $49.
The other part of the proceeds from the race will go
to support a few community organizations yet to be
selected.
“Don’t miss out on this
race; it will be really fun. We
will get to run on the beach,
which is unheard of,” Patterson said.
As of June 2012, a year
after it was taken down
from its original location,
the Surfing Madonna reap-

11

But as with most complex issues involving scarce
resources where nobody
gets everything they want,
the proposal has already
drawn opposition.
The San Diego County
Water Authority will weigh
in later this year after
needed study.
The agency, which is
layered between the giant
Metropolitan Water Authority and the local water agencies, will analyze four of 16
possibilities: the governor’s
preferred plan, a doingnothing proposal, a Delta
Vision Foundation proposal
and the somewhat similar
Natural Resources Defense
Fund portfolio idea.
A “bookend” approach,
Stapleton called it. (For
details about the water
authority’s approach,
see www.sdcwa.org/
sites/default/files/
files/2013_07_13_WaterAuthorityBDCP.pdf)
This study and analysis
will be worth more than its
weight in water – if not gold.
The county water authority has articulated an apt and
thoughtful set of values to
judge these plans, including:
n co-equal attention to
water reliability and environmental restoration;
n development of local
water resources;
n encouragement for a
statewide market for water
transfers;
n a financial structure
that brings certainty and
fairness to the arrangements.
The water wars in California are legendary.
And finding compromises
that allow good ag land to
be farmed, cities and their
industries to drink and grow
as needed, and fish and their
habitat to survive is worth
doing fairly and right.
Kent Davy is the former
editor of the daily North
County Times. Contact him
at kent2davy@gmail.com.

peared in public. It was
mounted on the outside wall
at Cafe Ipe, located at 970
North Coast Highway 101 in
Leucadia.
For more information
and to register for the beach
run,
visit
www.surfing
madonnarun.org. Also visit
www.surfingmadonna.org
to learn more about the
Surfing Madonna Oceans
Project.
Artists interested in getting involved on the project can email Patterson at
mdpinsd@yahoo.com.

North
Coast

12

ALMANAC

August-September 2013
www.northcoastcurrent.com

Farmers markets, weather facts and top events

PRESERVED HOME

Scrap the
throwaway;
leftovers
can be a star
“Kids, mommy is making
dinner with kitchen trash
again!” announced my husband loudly. “Ewwweeee!”
exclaimed my two young
children, wrinkling their
little noses
in disgust.
He loves to
needle me
about my
frugality, but
this time it
resulted in
some fasttalking on my
part about
how it’s food, not garbage, if
you employ some creativity.
You see, I’m into what
I call “compost cuisine,”
which is basically an effort
to use up every bit of produce, and food in general,
instead of throwing the food
in a compost bin or garbage.
It makes me uneasy to
squander food. According
to the Natural Resources
Defense Council, 40 percent
of food is wasted by Americans, with each person
responsible for 20 pounds
of wasted food each month.
And this is likely not salvaged scraps, but prepared,
fresh food. I’m sure that
number would drastically

LAURA
WOOLFREY
MACKLEM

OCEANSIDE

WEATHER FACT
n 87 degrees ... Hottest
recorded temperature
this year so far; May 13

WEATHER FACT
n 94 degrees ... Hottest
recorded temperature
this year so far; May 3, 13